My name is Neil Seldman, and I’ve been working on solid waste issues for over 35 years now. As President of the Washington, DC-based nonprofit the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, I’ve helped found national and international recycling and zero waste coalitions and advocated on the national level for better solid waste management policy in the United States. ILSR actually got its start in 1974 as a grassroots community organization in the Dupont Circle-Adams Morgan-Mt Pleasant communities of Washington, DC. Our original mission was to create a self-reliant community of some 30,000 residents, but we quickly expanded to help communities across the country initiate recycling programs and enterprises and fight the implementation of waste incinerators. Our goal is to change the ‘burn and bury’ paradigm in US solid waste management to a ‘local recovery and reuse’ paradigm.

In the United States, beginning in the 1970s, we saw a lot of public outcry over proposed garbage incinerators. I’m proud of the role that I’ve played in helping ordinary citizens make the case for recycling and composting as obvious alternatives. For me, what has proved critical is making the link to economic development. Dumping or burning trash doesn’t just have environmental costs—it has economic costs as well. I do think that a shift in mindset has taken place in this country. People realize now that recycling and composting are in fact economically superior to ‘burn and bury’. We haven’t seen any new incinerators built since 1995. (Although there is a new wave of incineration proposals throughout the US. The same is happening throughout the world.) Infrastructure for recycling and composting has been established. Many new rules (laws, regulations and ordinances) are in place—minimum content, mandatory separation, green procurement, resource recovery parks. Volume based disposal costs have been introduced in 7,000 US cities. Extended Producer Responsibility, the idea that manufacturers have a responsibility to deal with the products and packaging they produce, has grown steadily since the l990’s. Recycling and compost activists and companies now have broad networks and are supported by national and local organizations. Cities and counties have reached 50%, 60% and 70% levels of diversion. Some leading cities have goals of 90% by 2020.

Over the years, I’ve found success by closely linking these issues to local economic development. My advice to environmental advocates in Serbia is to learn about the alternatives to ‘burn and bury’. Understand their economic benefits and make that part of your message—creating jobs, supporting small businesses, expanding the tax base. Work with the industries and companies that provide these alternatives to burn and bury. Enter joint ventures. And of course, grassroots activism is essential every step of the way—by citizens, and nonprofits, and small business owners. Stop the flow of money from big industry players to government officials. Organize politically to elect officials who understand and support zero waste principles, and push for environmental policies that support and nurture recycling and compost companies.